If you chase the latest diet and exercise trends in a hot pursuit toward fitness and weight loss, then you may not be as different as you think. Hollywood celebs want to look great, stay young and be healthy. Most of the mainstream population has the same goals in mind.

However, celebrities have been known to go the extra mile in their chase after fitness – sometimes adapting bizarre health crazes.

1. Hula Hooping

Regular hula-hooping enthusiasts include Beyonce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kelly Osbourne and Madonna. The claim is that this old-school playground fun is a great way to tone the core, backs of the arms and even the legs. Flexibility and balance are improved after just a few sessions.

According to fitness experts and a report published by the American Council on Exercise, just one minute of swinging your hips among the uniform circle will burn about seven calories. Keep it up for thirty minutes and you burn over 200 calories. For newbies, be prepared for a challenge. It’s not as easy as it was when you were ten.

2. Kangoo Jumps

Want Kim Kardashian’s backside? Or maybe the abs of Pink? Well, you are going to need to pull on a pair of bizarre looking boots and perform a strange kangaroo-like jump. Kangoo jumps are a low impact workout that helps you burn a lot of calories while strengthening the core and correcting posture.

The boots worn for Kangoo jumps have springs that help prevent damaging impact on the joints. Exercise experts say that it is not so much the boots that provide muscle tone, but the movements performed while wearing them. People who wear them while jogging, kickboxing or other activities are actually gaining most benefits from the activity itself.

3. Fresh Diet Fad

The Fresh Diet is a daily or weekly service that provides fresh meals and snacks at your doorstep and is enjoyed by celebrities such as Olivia Munn and Shenae Grimes. The meals are healthy, fresh and low in calories. They are a great way to slim down, but do come at a hefty price tag. A week’s worth of meals runs about $420, while an entire month can set you back nearly $1,200. Remember, this is not for a family of four – but one person.

The Fresh Diet recently expanded its delivery service to include Toronto and a number of Canadians are enjoying the food, while slimming down. The menu is first rate, highly flavourful and provides a lot of options.

So what do the experts say about The Fresh Diet fad? The meals are healthy and can provide useful choices to lose weight, but the plan itself is not teaching customers how to eat properly. The meals are conveniently delivered and do not teach the consumer how to manage portions, cook healthy meals or understand calorie content. All of the thinking is being done for you.

The Health Local Staff is a team of writers and experts dedicated to bringing you the latest health, nutrition and lifestyle information at www.healthlocal.ca.